CHIRP

# How To Report Issues

## First things first!

Before you file a bug, *please test the latest Development Version of CHIRP to see if your issue has been fixed*. These builds are generated automatically every night when there is a change, and they are available from the bottom of the [download page](/projects/chirp/wiki/download).

Please *DO NOT* attach the manufacturer's software to the issue. Even if you think the software is freely available via download elsewhere, that does not mean you can legally distribute it yourself. Posting it here also opens up the CHIRP website and community to potential action by owners of that software. If it is downloadable somewhere, feel free to post a link but *DO NOT* attach it to the issue.

## Effective Bug Reporting

Effective reporting of a bug or feature is critical to getting the issue resolved in a timely manner. If bug descriptions are difficult to understand or reproduce, they are less likely to receive attention. When you are crafting your bug report, try to answer the following questions:

1. What is the behavior you are seeing?

2. What is the behavior you were expecting?

3. Can you reproduce the problem all the time?

4. What are the steps required to reproduce the problem?

5. Is this specific to a certain radio model (driver) or something that you can reproduce with another radio?

In most cases, *it is important to attach an image of your radio to the bug* so that a developer can look at the exact state and determine what the problem is. It is often helpful describe what you expect to see in a given memory location, as well as what you actually see. If relevant or difficult to describe what you are seeing, attaching a screenshot of the behavior may also be helpful.

For more information about how to file an effective bug report, please see Eric S. Raymond's [How to ask questions the smart way](http://catb.org/esr/faqs/smart-questions.html)

## Getting your debug log

If you are expecting something to happen (such as importing from a file, or setting a memory) and CHIRP appears to ignore the request, *you probably should include your debug.log*. If you are getting an error message, you should definitely include the log.

The debug log is cleared every time you start chirp, so the procedure for getting a usable log is:

1. Start chirp

2. Reproduce the failure or bug

3. Close chirp

4. Copy and send the debug.log before starting chirp again

Here are some tips for getting to it on the various platforms:

### Windows

Go to Start->Run and type `%APPDATA%\CHIRP` (exactly as it is, including the percent signs). Your `debug.log` file will be in the folder that opens.

### Linux and MacOS

Your debug log should be in your home directory, in `.chirp/debug.log`.

If you don't know how to find this, open up a terminal window.

(Mac: click on spotlight (the magnifying glass icon at top right corner), and type `terminal`)

Run the following command at the prompt:

```

cp ~/.chirp/debug.log ~/Desktop

```

Then close the terminal window. The `debug.log` file will be on your desktop.

## Filing your report

In order to file a new bug report or feature request, you must first create (or sign into) an account. Click the [Register](http://chirp.danplanet.com/account/register) or [Sign in](http://chirp.danplanet.com/login) link at the top right of this page to do that. Once you are logged in, click the [New issue](http://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/issues/new) link on the menu bar above to get started.